Stairbuilders group reaches agreement with AWI

The Stairbuilders and Manufacturers Association and Architectural Woodwork Institute reached a contributing-association agreement pertaining to the development of the AWI/ANSI standard for architectural woodwork.

“We are very pleased to be invited by AWI to provide valued input regarding stairway, handrail, and guard construction,” SMA president Steve Guenzel said in a statement. “Although this is but a small part of the realm of architectural woodwork that will be covered in the AWI/ANSI standard, stairbuilding is a specialized field in which our members are experts.”

AWI president Greg Lutz notes that the agreement, signed in June, marks the beginning of an era of mutual cooperation between industry stakeholders.

“We are proud of our affiliation with SMA and promise that our combined efforts will surpass any prior architectural woodwork standards to date. AWI’s collaboration and combined efforts with many different subject experts allows our new industry standard to embody the wisdom and experience that can be found nowhere else,” Lutz says.

Under the agreement, both associations will use the American National Standard Institute and AWI’s approved standard writing procedures for creating the first voluntary industry consensus standard.

If you like to stare at stairs, add a visit to New Mexico’s capital to the bucket list. Santa Fe is home to the Loretto Chapel and its “Miraculous Staircase,” a sophisticated spiral staircase with no means of obvious support by an unknown builder.